Deane Smart’s car just needed a little tough love.
After spending all week at work and neglecting to perform and maintenance duties on his No. 24, the car sprung to life late in the 30-lap Late Model feature at Unity Raceway to provide Smart with enough for his 3rd win of the season.
"That’s the best this car has ever felt," Smart said.
Josh St. Clair and Brad Bellows, driving the same car he won the Sportsman feature with earlier in the night, finished second and third, respectively.
St. Clair dominated the early stages of the event, holding off a charge from Bellows. In the meantime, Smart snuck up on the two leaders. He picked Bellows off on lap 13, muscling under him in turn 1, and then a lap later start looking to the low side on St. Clair.
On lap 15, he cruised past St. Clair through turns 3 and 4 for th lead he would not relinquish.
"This car just likes the bottom a lot," Smart said. "Usually what it takes is just a little bit for the other cars to start sliding up to the top."
Smart joked he’d have to consider giving up weekday work on his car.
"We’ve been working 7 days a week, 12 hour days," he said. "We haven’t done anything with the car. We loaded it up last week, then put it back together last night just in time to get here."
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